According to UW Police, there's a "violent predator" at large. Twice, recently, a woman was walking alone on campus and a man came up behind her and hit her on the head. That's bad, admittedly. But never walk alone?

I earned my degree at ASU. Though I didn't live on campus, my only access to a computer was, and I was often there till 2 or 3 or 4 in the morning working on big assignments. The problem with this was that my car was in a parking lot a dark 10 minute walk away from the commons. I was very grateful when the cab drivers that would wait around to take the little drunk girls back to their dorms started recognizing me, and would drive slowly beside me to the lot.

Yeah Althouse, do you think it’s a RIGHT to be able to walk ANYWHERE, ANY TIME, alone? News Flash: the world has predators and they have haunts, and UNLESS you are willing to stroll in IBA and carry an M-4, full loaded, and are willing to be alert 90% of the time, it’s good advice. I’m a big guy and at 03.00 hours I’m cautious about where I walk….It’s called “being prudent.”

PLUS, as the UW-Madison Campus is no doubt gun free, AND populated by little drunken sheep, where do you think the predators will congregate? At the local gun club or Tim Horton’s with the Police? They’re gonna wander on down where people have willingly disarmed themselves, and foolishly act as IF nothing bad could happen to them, and wander around late at night, with an excess of disposable income, and as a plus a goodly number will be substance impaired… Where I come from we call that a “Baited Field.”

If you are a women that has always been the case once it goes dark-- even here in Madison where we have our fair share of male predators. But oddly even some of my male students, walking alone have reported being attacked just outside of Engineering Hall.

Walk alone? No problem down here. In the parks the rapist/killers don't know who has a gun. Grab some woman you you might find a few .380s or .38s in your gut.

We see sexual assaults mostly on college campuses where no guns are allowed. Yes 'gun free' zones. The bad guys ain't dumb they don't want to get hurt over this so they go where they know they can find unarmed victims.

It will be interesting to see if concealed carry alters the current "afraid to walk alone" atmosphere" in paradise.

Predators do their homework...they spend hours at it, like other do at their job...they spend planning to attack their prey.

Alone you are a target. Alone in a gun free zone you are a target with a neon sign over your head.

When I lived in NYC they told me to walk rapidly and act like you know where you are going, with purpose and in the middle of the sidewalk...away from the building and away from the street. Looking distracted, looking about etc. makes you look like a "tourist" and easy prey.

Carry a pencil/pen size aresol can of blaze orange paint (pocket, key chain etc.) Marking them makes them very nervous.

And while a .45 or .40 is preferred, a lady who has a cool head and hand with a .22 pistol is going to be able to fend off 99% of most male attackers. Just pulling out the pistol will end things. If you have to shoot with a .22, muliple shots to the chest and head will get the job done ladies. The point is don't let the size of a pistol intimidate you.

My son went to Mudd. His dad bought him a new bike at Christmas. He didn't use a lock. He just ran into a building for something. Only to discover when he came out, again, the bike was gone.

How would a predator know you were walking, alone? People tend to "group" ... just as they do at checkout lines.

What happened to campus security? Are they not allowed outside? Must they stay locked in their offices? Or confined to automobiles?

What happened to the "good old scream?"

Maybe, what you need is a squirt gun full of blood? Grown men can faint at the sight of blood.

While walking and shouting "wait up for me" ... could put a predator off your track, no? Even a wild raccoon wouldn't jump out ... if it looked like you were paying attention ... and not about to walk idly into a lamppost.

This is a standard requirement for soldiers who are traveling off base in a civilian environment. Always travel with at least one other soldier. You see, soldiers know full well that there are predators out their always. I preach this to my kids and grandkids. I go accompanied by Smith and Wesson.

You think predators are a problem? When you don't look where you're walking you can take flight by tripping. If not over something you don't see ... like a crack in the sidewalk ... Then over your own shoe laces.

Now, if you take the behaviors of not paying attention to where you're going ... and you go out in traffic ... do you know what happens? Just because you don't see the car, doesn't mean it can't hit you.

Ah, folks, concealed carry doesn't work very well if someone comes up behind you unobserved and clubs you over the head.

Some women who have trained for years in martial arts claim to be able to sense attackers who are behind them -- in the dojo I used to belong to we did actual exercises to help enhance that "sixth sense." But the qualifier "trained for years" should not be overlooked.

If I'm leaving the office after dark and I see an unaccompanied woman also heading out, I offer to walk her to her car. Given the state of my knees these days walking a bunch of extra steps is no small thing.

Once in a while a woman will go all Rebecca Watson on me, but that's life.

Heres an even better suggestion. Have the police issue a warning to bad guys to stay the hell off the streets or they will be hit with billy clubs. Or, to the police, get off the freaking computer and make your presence known so that law abiding people can walk when and where they please. How about that for a safety tip?

I was at the University of Chicago campus in the late 1970's - visiting my bro' - and I noticed the unusual shape of the handsets on the emergency phones scattered throughout the campus. My brother told me that campus police advised students that if being chased to just knock the handset off the cradle and keep running, then repeat. The handsets and the cradles were designed to make it easy to do that, whilst on the run. It was like a really rudimentary form of GPS. Presumably there was a campus map on a panel somewhere and the pattern of the lights would tell the cops where you were being chased. Now that was a combat zone. Sheesh. Madison has really changed for the worse in terms of violent crime. Back in my day there... .

They used to advertise my alma mater as "a safe place to send your boy." That was before they allowed drinking, dancing, and female students on campus, and the big city was still 20 miles away on a two lane road.

Later, when I was there, no one locked any dorm rooms except during vacations and home football and basketball games (and private time). A drunk townie shot a student in the chest at a party (he lived). That was the only violent crime I remember.

Now they have emergency phones everywhere and electronic passes for the dorms.

Never go outside your bedroom. Ever.That way, you'll live forever (and possibly longer).Nobody ever did anything by facing the world bravely. Never take a risk.After all, it's the bedwetters who have made history.

"if you can hear thunder, lightening is close enough to strike you" too, they say. "running is really too tough on your body", so says the fat doctor. *** The real dangers in life stem from not being able to think.

For all the talk about bringing your friend Mr. Colt (or Messrs. Smith and Wesson, or Herr Glock, etc.), a firearm is useless to you if you are not aware of your surroundings.

Any person walking on campus at night should do the following:

(1) Keep your eyes and ears open. If you are alone, do periodic checks in all directions. You might see a friend, or another person who needs company on the walk. You also might see a predator on two legs who is sizing up his prey. If you see him before he is in range, half of his plans are wasted.

(2) Plan ahead. Wear shoes and clothes that allow for rapid movements. Know your path, and look for areas where ambushes can be done. Plan to minimize space in potential ambush zones.